One stage of recovering hydrocarbon products such as oil and natural gas is known as “completion”. Completion is the process of preparing an already drilled well for production and often includes hydraulic fracturing and other well stimulation procedures. Completions also frequently include cementing operations in which cement is pumped through the casing in order to cement the casing into the wellbore. Cementing operations typically include “wiping” the well bore by pumping down the casing a wiper plug in order to “wipe” excess or superfluous cement from the casing.
After cementation the well bore must be re-opened down hole in order to establish communication for stimulation and production. This is typically done with what is known as a “toe valve” or an “initiation valve.” Certain toe valves may be opened by pressuring up on fluid in the casing, i.e., pressure activated toe valves. However, it is typically desirable to pressure test the casing prior to opening the toe valve(s). Thus, it is advantageous to be able to pressure test the casing without inadvertently opening the toe valve. The apparatus and methods described herein offers a novel technology for accomplishing these and other objectives.